When the Lincoln insurance company he worked at for two decades was sold and many jobs were eliminated in 2013, Gerald Homp decided to make a change.
He was looking to end his daily commute to Lincoln, had 20 years marketing experience and was brewing beer at home to get a sense for what he was in for.
He also connected with an engineer at Hughes Brothers who had more experience and skill at brewing to help him out.
On Oct. 17, Homp, president and founder of Bottle Rocket Brewing, and Ryan Koch, co-owner and brew master, will celebrate 10 years in business with a bit of a party at the brewery in the old Cambell’s Seed Co. Mill building on South Fifth Street, just off Seward’s town square.
They will unveil 10 new beers on tap, bring in the Gametime Phillies food truck, run a purchase and swag promotion and listen to the Firehouse 5.
“It’s exciting,” Homp said. “It’s been 10 years of brewing, bonding and blasting off.”
A lot has happened since the Bottle Rocket tap room opened in October 2015, and Homp is pleased to point out the many areas in which the brewery and the community connect.
In addition to hosting corn hole league, trivia night, comedy nights, music, an annual four-person golf scramble and other events, Bottle Rocket has joined in on community events, participating in Fourth of July activities, participating in events downtown events and even brewing Hay Bale Beer especially for the 2025 Seward County Fair.
“Brewed to pair perfectly with funnel cakes, demolition derbies and Ferris wheel rides,” the promotional description says.
The lager was also the official beer at the Nebraska State Fair this year.
Those connections are important to the business. Homp said as their sales spread across the state, they also try to give back to the community, like hosting a weight-lifting event as a fundraiser for a domestic violence group.
The brewery is part of the area’s tourism draws, but also promotes Seward and the Seward Fourth of July across the state with its labeling and back story. The brewery has also used location specific themes in some of its other beers, for example, Patriotic Peach, Blueberry Bomb, Stout Constitution and Smalltown Brown Ale.
Homp said the brewing industry changes constantly and, like other industries, experienced significant changes after the COVID years. Today, he said, there are more Nebraska breweries closing than opening and he is pleased that Bottle Rocket is busy.
“We have been in this 10 years and it feels like it is still new,” Homp said. “There is a lot of stuff going on in the brewing industry. It is constantly changing.”
Seward area residents who come to the brewery view it as their local pub, gathering for events or just to catch up with each other, he said. Families are welcome and children are offered locally brewed root beer. The Mug Club’s paid membership gets to preview new brews before they are offered to the public.
Bottle Rocket expanded the circa 1947 Campbell’s Seed Co. Mill building in 2016 to add an event area, which was soon followed by a beer garden and loft. Many of the original features remain and one grain bin was used to create a gazebo in the beer garden.
The company expanded again in 2019, taking advantage of the proximity of the former Seward Youth Center on Fourth Street, which is now dedicated to brewing and canning operations.
The business started with a single barrel brewing system and two barrel fermenting tanks.
Ten years later, it offers around 18 brews on tap and markets its ales and lagers across the state with vendors including HyVee groceries.
One of the changes in the business, Homp said, is brewing smaller amounts of an ale or lager so that it is not stored as long. Bottle Rocket has now entered a contract situation to allow a new company to use its brewing facility, which won’t impact Bottle Rocket’s brewing or operations, Homp said.
On Oct. 7, the Seward City Council approved a Class L craft brewery liquor license for Dot Provisions LLC, which has a co-brewing relationship with Bottle Rocket.
Doing business as Birdwise Brewing, Dot plans to produce a mix of regular craft beer, non-alcoholic and/or low alcohol versions of popular beers in both keg and canned formats.
Dot owners Bill Schellpeper and Jason Siebert, both of Omaha, said the brewery will not have public hours at the Seward location, which will focus on production and distribution. The Bottle Rocket facility offered capacity and economic advantages for the brewing business, Schellpeper said.
Both Schellpeper and Siebert have ties to Seward. Schellpeper said he was formerly affiliated with Rembolt Ludtke LLP law firm, which has offices in Seward. Siebert grew up in the area and his brothers, Ben and John Siebert, began Junto Winery east of Seward.
